The President of DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts has stated that the lifting of the ban on sales of Mercedes cars in France “does not change anything.”

In a statement, Thierry F. J. Vanlancker, said: “The decision in France today is a legal matter related to vehicle registrations, and has no bearing on the safety of HFO-1234yf, nor does it change the fact that the MAC Directive remains in place.

DuPont has a high level of confidence that the refrigerant can be used safely in automotive air conditioning. This has been proven by years of cooperative testing conducted by automakers from around the world.

Most recently, testing by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) “produced no adequate evidence of a serious risk” related to HFO-1234yf.

All industry-sponsored risk assessments have determined that neither flammability nor hydrogen fluoride formation related to HFO-1234yf present a significant safety concern. Individual car-makers have also conducted testing that confirms they can safely use the refrigerant.

Automakers from around the world working under SAE International concluded that the risk of vehicle fire caused by HFO-1234yf is only three chances in a trillion.

DuPont welcomes the proposal of the European Commission to conduct an independent review of all testing conducted to date, and we believe this will help bring clarity to a debate that has continued for too long.

DuPont believes the EU Commission is committed to enforcing the MAC Directive to reduce automotive impact to the climate and also to preserve the Commission’s ability to enforce future environmental regulations.

We believe the Commission will continue working to ensure all automotive manufacturers comply with the Directive.”